136 
LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. 
showman whose dog has misbehaved. At last the 
whole party rode off; blit the rear horseman had not 
disappeared round the neighbouring hill before—splash! 
bang!—fifty feet up into the air drove the dilatory 
fountain, with a fury which amply avenged the affront 
put upon it, and more than vindicated my good opinion. 
All our endeavours, however, to photograph the erup¬ 
tion proved abortive, We had already attempted both 
Strokr and the Great Geysir, but in the case of the 
latter the exhibition was always concluded before the 
plate could be got ready; and although, as far as 
Strokr is concerned you can tell within a certain 
period when the performance will take place, yet the 
interval occurring between the dose and the explosion 
varies so capriciously, that unless you are content 
to spend many days upon the spot, it would be 
almost impossible to hit it off exactly. On this last 
occasion,—although we did not prepare the plate until 
a good twenty minutes after the turf was thrown in,— 
the spring remained inactive so much longer than is 
usual, that the collodion became quite insensitive, 
and the eruption left no impression whatever upon it. 
Of our return journey to Reykjavik I think I have 
